Orlando Rundown

I cannot believe it's been almost 3 weeks since I last posted. I have been blogging, just all about my photo sessions of late on my other site. To say it's been a little hectic is quite the understatement. I had to post some pictures from our trip to remind myself that indeed we already went on vacation for the summer. I'm DYING to go somewhere else & actually relax, but my checkbook doesn't really agree :-)! Here's a little rundown of all the things we did and saw when we were in Orlando.

The day we landed, we checked in & then headed straight to Sea World...I say straight, but the truth is we had a couple of GPS's that didn't feel the same way & it took us almost 45 minutes to get there, when it should've taken about 5!

Grant was apparently feeling SUPER brave that day, and asked if he could ride this. This is the only part of the ride that you could really see, but from what I heard there were some dark caves & a couple of either quick moves on it. He met the height requirement, so Pookie and he went on the ride. Unfortunately, it ruined him for our ENTIRE trip! It scared him to death! He's actually in the very back of the ride in the picture below, and when they got to the bottom, he was crying. He didn't want to go on ANY rides the rest of the trip...not a good way to start the trip. It was a battle the rest of the week to get him on much of anything - It's a Small World, Peter Pan, the Little Mermaid Show all resulted in all out screaming in line! Not so fun!



One of the very few pictures I'm actually in from the trip waiting for one of the shows at Sea World to start.


I had to post this photo just because I think it looked so cool!


The 2nd day, we headed out to Magic Kingdom. It was by far the craziest place we went the whole time we were there. We got there pretty early and stayed until 11 pm. We were exhausted when we left, but it was worth it.

Claire loved Minnie's house & still talks about going back there.



Mom will probably kill me for posting this picture, but I think it's hilarious. We had 1 rain shower the whole week, and we were actually in Judge Mickey's tent when it happened. When we came out, it was just sprinkling and the Mad Hatter's Tea Party was close by & covered, we headed there. We all SQUEEZED into 1 teacup together. I DO NOT like these types of rides, and neither does my mom, can you tell?!



We then went to wait in line for princesses. Grant & Pook ventured off somewhere else, and we stood in line for an eternity. It was worth it though. Claire was in total awe of these princesses. Sleeping Beauty was a total sweetheart and held her for a really long time. She was talking to her & stroking her hair. Claire is VERY shy around people she doesn't know, and she just kind of stared at all 3 of them, but it was so sweet.










Grant got to meet some of his favority characters too. Claire wouldn't step foot near them!



We hung around for the parade, and it was so worth it. It was just beautiful!



Claire sat front & center & took it all in. Grant was kind of behind us so he could run & hide at any given minute! The funny thing is that when the Peter Pan float went by, Capt. Hook totally blasted a canon right at Grant - scared him to death, but we thought it was hilarious :-)!

The castle is SOOO pretty at night, but the crowds around it were absolutely ridiculous! We had no intention of staying for the fireworks, but it was impossible to get out of there because of the crowd.


Love Love Love Tinkerbell before the fireworks!


Random balloon pic that might be my favorite from the whole trip...Funny thing is this guy was SOOOO in the way of everyone with all of this stinkin' balloons!



The next day, we went to Animal Kingdom for a few hours while Pook was in classes. I do have LOTS of pictures of animals, but I figure you've already seen that stuff! It was a drama filled day when my credit card was declined trying to buy tickets. Apparently, someone stole our number & they froze our account - great thing to happen on vacation!

That night, we headed to Epcot for some fun & fireworks. Love this pic of my boys!


The were all about this Nemo exhibit. Grant was, of course, petrified of the ride, but just fine once he realized it wasn't scary.



Weds morning, we headed back to Magic Kingdom for breakfast with Pooh & his pals. I would not recommend character breakfasts unless they're at your hotel. It is SOOOOO HARD to get there in time. We were so tired every morning & that time difference is a killer that early in the morning. We had quite the morning when Grant had a HUGE belly issue right when we walked through the gates. I am so thankful for extra clothes & ziploc bags - a theme park necessity!






The breakfast was really good, and the kids really enjoyed it. Claire still wouldn't touch the characters, but she did at least stand next to them.


Later that same day, we ran into some more Toy Story friends.



Back at Downtown Disney that evening, they were obsessed with the little Mickey & Minnie!


Thursday, Grant, Pook & I went to Typhoon Lagoon. I didn't take my camera so I don't have any pictures, but it was a lot of fun!

Friday, we hit Hollywood Studios. I think it's one of my favorite places, but Grant had a really tough time that day. We were all totally stressed by the end of it & I really was not in the mood for pictures of him. However, this little duck came up to us while we were waiting for our shuttle & he wasn't camera shy at all!



We ate Mexican that evening & our little booger was tired! He fell asleep waiting for our food!



After that, we played mini golf. I posted a couple of pics of that night on a previous post. My 2 cheeseballs!



All in all, it was a good trip! Both kids did better than I did on the flights, which was a huge relief! It was a very tiring week, and I would've loved to have had a few more days there so that we could've rested a day in between each park. Hopefully, we'll get to go back again in a few years and won't have a scaredy cat then!

Grant's 1st T-Ball game!

After a pretty much disastrous year of soccer last spring, Grant decided to try t-ball out. He had his 1st game last week, and all in all did pretty well. Don't get me wrong, he's no super slugger, but he did stay on the field, ran the right way & hit the ball each time. I think (hope) he enjoyed it because he looks so cute in his little uniform. They had pictures the 1st night, but I decided to try to get his individual ones on my own. I actually got a not terribly goofy smile so I'm stickin' with these!





Hitting the ball..I love that he has a smile on his face :-)!


Waiting on 1st base!


Sister enjoyed the ball game too! I learned at the 1st practice to dress her in something that's ok to ruin. She plays in the dirt the entire time. It totally grosses me out. The insides of her crocs were totally black when we got home.

Pudge

Words cannot describe how sweet I think these little bruised legs are :-)!

Grant is 5!!!

One guess where we just got back from.....





That's right - Disney World! Please disregard the hot mess that I am! It was crazy hot & humid, and actually raining when this was taken!



Grant turns 5 today, and I'm a total slacker this year due to the trip, but had to at least post some pictures of him from the last few weeks.

Both kids loved riding on the buses, trains, boats, etc...maybe even as much as the Disney rides!







We played Fanastia mini golf, and Grant wore his mouse ears cock-eyed the entire time. I'm not sure why, but I love the pictures from that night despite the flourescent coloring!



Grant was Mr. Incredible for Halloween last year, so we had to meet them!


The shortest character line of the trip!


Grant loved the stingray bay! They kind of freak me out a little, but he was not scared at all.


A couple of days before we left, he had his Mother's Day Out graduation. He was pretty pumped about it, and did a great job singing & doing his "motions" to the songs. They made all of the graduates these cute little signs..now I'm just wondering when we get to take it down!


Getting his diploma!



Grant,

I cannot believe how quickly the 5 years since you were born have gone by. As I type this, it's been almost 5 years to the minute since you arrived in this world. You amaze us every day with the things you say and do. You are so smart, and such a sweet little soul. You are incredibly social, but pretty timid when it comes to new situations. I know you will do awesome in kindergarten, though truth be told I wish it wasn't time for that. I am so not ready for the school years, but you are! I can't wait to see all of the things you'll do, friends you'll make along the way, and watch you grow into a "big boy," but if you could do it a little slower, that would be just great! I love you buddy! Happy 5th birthday!!

I've Been Violated!

It has been a ROUGH week! I have been super busy at work, at home, and with photography. On top of that, Grant graduated pre-school last night :-(! and he is now sick with pink eye, an ear infection, and what looks like strep! So, I haven't had time to do anything that's needed to be done this week, but today I needed to run by the mall on my way home from work. I went upstairs really quick to get one thing, and there they were...the mall masseuse! I see these people every time I go, but I've never actually had one, but today was a different story. I'm in desperate need of stress relief, and I'm pretty sure I've got some sort of muscle issue in my right shoulder/neck area..probably from overuse of the mouse!! So, I had ever intention of only doing the 12 mins for $12, but the guys would not take that. They kept trying to talk me up to 30 or 45 minutes. We eventually settled on 25, and I sat down. The first part of it was great. The guy got super deep in my shoulders and back, which I'm sure I needed. I'm going to be dying tomorrow from it though; I'm already getting sore. Then, it started getting weird. At one point, he had both hands on my back, went all the way down to my bum, the flipped his hands around, and I kid you not squeezed my bum, then all the way down my thighs. I was literally dying laughing with my face down in that chair. I felt like I was on AFV or Candid Camera. It kept happening over & over, and when he jiggled my thighs I just about lost it. Then he took my shoes off & offered foot massage...um, no! I'm so weird about feet, and while I'd love a foot massage, the middle of the mall is not the place i'd choose. I'm pretty sure the guy at the perfume kiosk right in front of them got a huge kick out of the show these guys put on. Has anyone else had one of these?? Are they always like this? I was not expecting anything but shoulders, neck, and back. Next time, it will definitely only be the $12 because I figure they can't get that far in that amount of time!

Pics of MY Kiddos!!

So...i've been neglecting my own pictures lately in a BAD BAD way! To be honest, it's driving me a bit crazy! These aren't wonderful by any means, and I totally skimp on PP'ing my own pictures, but these are very much my kids! I uploaded these a few weeks (or months) ago, with plans for this whole collage thing, and it's just never happened. So, forget the collage, but I still needed to post these because on this fateful day, I got smiles from both of my children...not together, and definitely not posed, but smiles nonetheless!

This is so Grant to me! Love that contagious smile!

His hair kills me! It is sooooo not my hair. I am obsessive about it, but anyone that knows me knows that I cannot stand to have a hair out of place :-). My hair never looks like anything special - straight & flat - but I always have a brush with me!



and this is just not fair!!

my sweet as pie girl! i could just eat her up!








BTW...does anyone comment on blogs anymore????? I'm so not feelin' the love these days! I know you guys stop by b/c my statcounter says so, but seriously zero comments? C'mon friends, I really need some blog love to stay motivated ;0)! Until later...

Day at the Oaks

Wow, have I been busy?!! I didn't want to let this week get away without posting at least a few pictures from our day at Churchill Downs last weekend. We went to Louisville Thursday night, and this year, Pook & I got tickets to the Oaks on Friday. The weather was absolutely gorgeous on Friday, so it was the perfect day to spend at the track.



I knew I was in for a treat when this was the 1st picture I took upon arriving at the track. That, my friends, is some get-up!


Too bad Pook didn't read the "How to Wager" sign..ha!


I love seeing all of the hats. I didn't wear one because I seriously procrastinated even finding a dress. They call it a pink out, and everyone wears pink for breast cancer awareness. Did you know pink is not an "in" color this season? Therefore, it was very difficult to find anything pink to wear. I now know that even if you don't wear pink, your hat can have a little and you fit in perfectly or wear none at all, and you're still fine. My hubby even wore a pink shirt for the first time ever!

This couple was a couple of rows behind us, and I thought they looked so cool. Did anyone watch Annie? They totally reminded me of Ms. Hannigan's brother & his wife that pretend to be Annie's parents...so random, I know!

When we arrived, it wasn't too terribly crowded, but as the day wore on it really filled up. I think it was a record Oaks crown of 115,000 or so..crazy!



And, they're off!



different race, but still a racing picture :-)


Note...I do not wear well on a hot, windy day. This was before the "big" race at the end of the day, and I was exhausted, sunburnt and hungry. I was tired of $8 drinks and $10 sandwiches, and I looked rough! Promise I looked better at the beginning of the day!

I have soooo many more pictures to post from the weekend we spent with family. I just don't see me getting to them any time soon. Sleep is hard to come by these days, as is any spare time!